Throughout this application various publications are referred to in parentheses. Full citations for these references may be found at the end of the specification. The disclosures of these publications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety into the subject application to more fully describe the art to which the subject invention pertains.
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive brain tumor in adults. Patients with GBM have a poor prognosis and usually survive less than 15 months following diagnosis. GBM accounts for an estimated 13,000 deaths/year in the United States. Currently, there is no effective long-term treatment for this disease. Standard of care consists of surgical removal of the tumor bulk, when possible, followed by focal radiotherapy in conjunction with temozolomide and subsequent adjuvant temozolomide. GBM is characterized by diffuse infiltration of tumor cells into the normal brain parenchyma and resistance to therapy. These two properties undermine current therapeutic efforts.
Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common form of pediatric brain tumor, which is often accompanied by metastasis into the spinal cord. Current standard of care for MB include radio- and chemo-therapy. While the 5 year survival rate is relatively high (50-80%), the use of radiation is accompanied by severe long-term side effects, including developmental defects of the treated children.
The present invention addresses the need for improved methods and agents for treatment of solid malignant neoplastic tumors, such as glioblastoma and medulloblastoma.